288 WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



baskets, the little animal managed to secure the finest 

 and freshest salmon in the river. 



To give eclat to our parting feast, a red-deer haunch 

 had been reserved, and in its roasting, John, as poor 

 Napoleon would say, " covered himself with glory." 

 Dinner passed as such a dinner should pass. The Colonel 

 and the Priest appeared bent upon conviviality. We 

 too prepared for a jovial carouse ; and it was generally 

 determined that our parting banquet should be the 

 " merriest, as the last." 



Evening passed quickly — there was no moon visible 

 till after midnight, and the wind, which had hitherto 

 been unheard, began to make that mournful noise 

 around the cabin, which generally indicates an approach- 

 ing change of weather. The otter-killer's absence 

 was now, for the first time, remarked, and I observed 

 that my kinsman rose frequently from the table, to look 

 long and anxiously from the window. Another hour 

 passed, and our alarm was fearfully increased, for, 

 aware of the feebleness of the old man, we apprehended 

 that he would be unable to make good his journey ; 

 and, if benighted in the moors, the probability was 

 great that he would perish of cold before the morning. 



While we remained in painful suspense, each feeling 

 an unwillingness to interrupt the comfort of the evening 

 by expressing fears that haply might only be imaginary, 

 a squall rushed up the river, and showed us that the 

 wind had chopped round to the westward several points 

 since twilight. At that moment a commotion was heard 

 outside — the pipes ceased — loud and earnest whisper- 

 ings succeeded — ^the door opened, and John, with a pale 

 face and hurried voice, told us that the otter-killer 

 was missing, and the boy who had accompanied him in 



